Reduce by two thirds, between 1990 and 2015, the under-five mortality rate

“Child mortality is a core indicator for child health and well-being. In 2000, world leaders agreed on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and called for reducing the under-five mortality rate by two thirds between 1990 and 2015 – known as the MDG 4 target… The proposed Sustainable Development Goal target for child mortality represents a renewed commitment to the world’s children: By 2030, end preventable deaths of newborns and children under five, with all countries aiming to reduce neonatal mortality to at least as low as 12 deaths per 1,000 live births and under-five mortality to at least as low as 25 deaths per 1,000 live births.”

PROGRESS: KEY FACTS

Substantial global progress has been made in reducing child deaths since 1990.

Promisingly, sub-Saharan Africa, the region with the highest under-five mortality rate in the world, has also registered a substantive acceleration. Its annual rate of reduction increased from 1.6 percent in 1990s to 4.1 percent in 2000–

Despite these gains, progress remains insufficient to reach the MDV 4 globally and in many regions, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.

Every day in 2015, 16,000 children under five continue to die, mostly from preventable causes.

Most child deaths are caused by diseases that are readily preventable or treatable with proven, cost-effective and quality-delivered interventions. Infectious diseases and neonatal complications are responsible for the vast majority of under-five deaths globally.

The substantial progress in reducing child mortality over the past 25 years provides a clear message: with the right commitments, concerted efforts and political will, bold and ambitious goals are within reach.

Sub-Saharan Africa remains the region with the highest under- five mortality rate in all regions in the world, with 1 child in 12 dying before his or her fifth birthday – far higher than the average ratio of 1 in 147 in high-income countries. The region is home to most of the highest mortality countries in the world. The seven countries with an under-five mortality rate above 100 are all located in sub-Saharan Africa.

Moreover, extended efforts are needed to provide the necessary services and interventions given the expected growing number of births and child populations in this region – with a 95 percent probability the number of children under age five in sub-Saharan Africa will grow by an extra 26–57 million, from 157 million in 2015 to between 183 and 214 million in 2030. The region may face unique challenges in reducing the number of child deaths: the number of under-five deaths in sub- Saharan Africa may increase or stagnate even with a declining under-five mortality rate if the decline in the mortality rate does not outpace the increase in population, as observed during the 1990s.

Under-five mortality rate (death per 1,000 births)

Country

1990

2000

2015

MDG Goal 2015

Cameroon

138

150

88

46

Benin

180

145

100

60

Burkina Faso

202

186

89

67

Cabo Verde

63

36

25

21

Gambia

170

119

69

57

Ghana

127

101

62

42

Guinea

238

170

94

79

Guinea-Bissau

229

178

93

76

Liberia

255

182

70

85

Mali

254

220

115

85

Niger

328

227

96

109

Nigeria

213

187

109

71

Senegal

140

135

47

47

Sierra Leone

264

236

120

88

Togo

146

121

78

49

Côte d’Ivoire

153

146

93

51

Estimates of under-five, infant and neonatal mortality by UNICEF region

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